Flying and Not Talking to Anybody

[Circuit Flyer]

I noticed my CFI last Saturday requested FF just to roam around the training area, due to the WWII airshow going on. There was a LOT of traffic.

 

[rwellner98]

Banned again. Either a trolling pilot or a POA member with a false profile trolling. Either way, it's gotten old real quick.

Maybe it's time for POA to use a system like slashcode or reddit wherein users score posts and the cream naturally rises to the top. Would solve a lot of persistent problems.

Edit: I see vbulletin has a reputation system. How come this isn't being used?

I guess I'll start a new thread on this...

 

[jesse]

Jesse- I don't get your reasoning for not using it, yet you teach it. Do you supply your students with pro/cons that you didn't elaborate upon here?

It's really not practical to use most of the time in the Flybaby do to my limited radio range, no electrical system, and no transponder.

If I'm not in the FlyBaby I am almost always in something that is IFR equipped and flying IFR buys you considerably more than flight following, IMO.

 

[zaitcev]

Much as I try, I cannot find one single reason not to request FF when going someplace.

Sadly almost everywhere I went recently, FF was like "Delta 1234 to 821RC, Center tells you to keep your squack, next radio contact Phoenix Center 132.45 at 60 six zero miles". It's pretty much never works below 10,000, and often not even then. If you have a turbo and oxygen, then by all means use FF.

I love having FF if I can get it, but I need to travel out into plains for that.

 

[Henning]

Sadly almost everywhere I went recently, FF was like "Delta 1234 to 821RC, Center tells you to keep your squack, next radio contact Phoenix Center 132.45 at 60 six zero miles". It's pretty much never works below 10,000, and often not even then. If you have a turbo and oxygen, then by all means use FF.

I love having FF if I can get it, but I need to travel out into plains for that.

True, keeping FF in the inter-mountain west below 10,000' is spotty at best. East of the Rockies and on the west coast though the coverage is pretty excellent.

 

[LDJones]

Last week I flew a Jabiru light sport from Minneapolis to Naples, FL. I only talked to two Class D towers and one approach control en route. I monitored a few frequencies when close to airspace but otherwise enjoyed the solitude and some great tunes for 11.2 hours flight time, 12 hours block-to-block.

 

[LDJones]

So I know I will be deeply unpopular for saying this but here goes...

Planes flying around and not talking to anyone is clearly a recipe for disaster. I know this has been done for almost a hundred years and is part of the culture but at some stage we need to bring responsibility and control to the aviation field like we have else where. Part 91 in particular needs to be tightened up. Those of you operating under Parts 121 and 135, you are very well regulated and the safety record would seem to back that up. The "cowboy" mentality that plagues Part 91 needs to be tightened up. What in particular? Everyone should be talking to ATC. No VFR flights without a flight plan. Transponders required for everyone with traffic avoidance systems (thank god for ADS-B being mandated by 2020 but it needs to be expanded to everyone). Experimental planes need to be made illegal. By all means overhaul the part 23 certification process but these morons and their unsafe kit planes need to be stopped.

Also no more night VFR.

Social responsibility. It is about time that some of you learn to exercise it!

Clearly, you'll be MUCH happier in Europe. Please find your aviation Nirvana there, rather than trying to impose your burdensome regulatory ideas here.

If you compare aviation vitality here vs. there you'll quickly realize what you're advocating for would suffocate aviation here as it has there.

 

[Henning]

Clearly, you'll be MUCH happier in Europe. Please find your aviation Nirvana there, rather than trying to impose your burdensome regulatory ideas here.

If you compare aviation vitality here vs. there you'll quickly realize what you're advocating for would suffocate aviation here as it has there.

I don't see why, Europe is full of wide open VFR no talking to anyone traffic.

 

[ClimbnSink]

Europe's problem is disposable income. If you count glider and paraglider pilots I bet Europe has far more pilots per capita then the US.